ALPINE SKI. The 2011/12 season’s first speed races were carried out as part of the South American Cup (SAC) in La Parva, Chile, this week. Beginning with a downhill training on Monday 5th September, two downhill races and a super-G for ladies and men saw a large number of World Cup racers getting their first full speed experiences this season.

On the men’s side Germany’s Tobias Stechert won both of the men’s downhill races, following his 4th place in the only training. In the first race, he was followed by the training fastest, France’s Yannick Bertrand and teammate Andreas Sander. In the 2nd DH, Gaspar Markic (SLO) and another German Josef Ferstl rounded out the podium behind Stechert. Both downhill races recorded some 50 starters.

In the men’s super-G, the victory went to the reigning junior world champion Bostjan Kline of Slovenia, followed by Bertrand in 2nd and yet another German Stephan Keppler, the surprise runner-up in the Val Gardena super-G last December.

The La Parva races also saw the return of Switzerland’s Daniel Albrecht to speed races following his tragic accident in Kitzbühel in 2009. Since then Albrecht has not finished a speed race. In La Parva he finished 11th in both of the downhill races and took 31st in the super-G among 58 competitors.

On the ladies side, a much smaller field was at start and all three races were won by Russian 17-year-old Alexandra Prokopyeva.

FISalpine.com
Sunday 11 September 2011

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